Showing Off
by aptasi
Summary: Albus and Minerva try to impress each other. ADMM light.
1. Chapter 1

**Showing Off  
**

**Summary:** ADMM. Minerva and Albus try to impress each other.

**Disclaimer**: I have no rights to Harry Potter. This story is written merely for recreational purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. In addition, parts of this are somewhat cliché. Ye be warned

Minerva walked onto the Quidditch pitch, feeling slightly giddy. Gryffindor won! She felt so exhilarated. Even in the dark of night, it seemed everything glowed. So, after dropping in on her lions, who were celebrating the win with a rowdy party, she returned.

Minerva felt much too excited to rest. She needed exercise or some way to release the excess energy. So, she had walked, all right skipped, across the grounds, back to the scene of their glorious victory.

Though a cooler head might have questioned the wisdom of being out so late, alone, in a dressing gown and pajamas, with dementors roaming the grounds, Minerva was too thoroughly immersed in her triumph for such sensible thoughts.

The Quidditch cup, finally theirs! Minerva brought her hands into the air and whirled around freely. She had not experienced such joy in a long time.

Albus Dumbledore felt slightly concerned as he followed Minerva McGonagall across the grounds. Though he did not want to worry her or interfere, an excursion through the shadowy stands with the cold wind and the fading moon seemed out of character and alarming to him.

Minerva was dear to him, and although Albus was mindful of the joy and nostalgia she was perhaps feeling, some protective instinct advised him not to leave her alone. He could not be seen and ruin her moment. Instead, he would just remain where he could be certain of her safety.

However, Albus' plan was shortly lived, for at that moment Minerva spun around into a fighting stance, raising her wand and glaring though sharp eyes. "Who's there?" She called into the night sternly; she shifted her position slightly, as agile and graceful as her other form.

Knowing he was caught, Albus stepped forward carefully, responding, "It's me, Minerva. I'm Albus," and holding up his hands.

"Albus," she answered sweetly. Then, without warning, her voice grew forceful again. "What are you doing here?"

Albus searched his mind frantically for an answer. After all, he couldn't say what he was thinking, that he had been watching her, that she looked beautiful with the wisps of hair that were slightly detached from her bun framing her face. He could not inform her that the exhilaration written so plainly on her features had lifted his own troubled heart. He certainly could not tell her about the excitement he himself had felt during the last seconds of the match, not due to anything happening on the pitch, but the way she had gripped his arm.

No, he certainly could not tell her any of those things, for she would hex him if she heard him. She would not take kindly to his romantic thoughts, surely not.

Even more certain to get him hexed would be the admission that he was worried about her safety, a woman alone on the grounds at night, where dementors had already proven they felt comfortable intruding. Minerva was an independent woman, and she would have found that answer infuriating.

As Albus stumbled for an answer, he saw Minerva grow impatient. Her arms crossed at her waist, and her eyes narrowed. Desperately, he turned the question back to her, "Well, what are you doing out here yourself?"

She smiled, showing shining white teeth that seemed unusually bright in the damp darkness. "Why, flying, of course." She responded lightly. She raised her wand. "Accio broom."

Minerva McGonagall vaguely registered confusion at her own actions. _Am I flirting with him?_ She thought in wonder. It was not as if she had never been tempted to flirt with Albus, the thought had been occurring to her daily for at least a decade now, but she had always done a wonderful job of resisting.

There were dozens of reasons not to flirt with her employer. Up until this night, she had managed to keep their friendship as it was, comfortable, familiar, yet cool, for years. They had never crossed the professional barrier into that light banter with such heavy consequences before.

However, tonight Minerva felt the best she had felt in years. Moreover, although Minerva's system was empty of anything untoward, free of alcohol and anything else that would make a proper excuse, she felt her inhibitions lower, and then fall away.

Minerva mounted her broom and sped into the sky of the pitch, doing a lap at breakneck speed just to get her bearings. She hadn't flown in years, but it felt wonderful to be on a broom again. She glanced down at Albus, who looked like a tiny dot on the ground, and felt her heart beat even faster. _What do you think you are doing?_ She asked herself as she pulled into a sharp, complicated corkscrew dive.

Albus watched Minerva in wonder from the ground. He hadn't known she could fly like that. True, he knew she had been a wonderful Gryffindor seeker once, but her flying today would put even the newly crowned Hogwarts champions to shame.

And such stunt flying! The spins, turns, and sharp dives, so amazing so crazy, so… Albus held his breath as Minerva pulled out of the dive and flew a mere inch above the ground, hanging off the side of the broom to drag her hand along the grass… so dangerous.

Minerva's hair had come loose and was streaming behind her, along with the tartan-dressing robe that waved like a flag. She flew close enough to him that he could feel the breeze she created tug at his robes, a strange sensation that threatened to turn his mind to imprudent thoughts.

Carefully, he brought his mind back to Minerva's flying. Now, she was turning, most rapidly, towards the goal hoops, with her body flattened low against her broomstick. Albus felt a chill grip his chest. Minerva had no quaffle with which to score, and it looked like she would fly straight into the hoops.

At that second, Minerva reached the hoops, transformed into a cat, and then jumped. Her broomstick sailed through the center hoop without her while she, in Animagus form, jumped over the hoop. Albus felt his mouth drop open as she regained her original form in midair, and reached out a hand to regain her broom. He had never even heard of anyone transforming on a broom like that, and with an obstacle involved, her timing had to be exquisite.

_She looks amazing_, Albus thought, as Minerva punched the air and let out a yell of triumph.

_It worked_. Minerva thought in amazement. She had never tried transforming from a broom before, though she often daydreamed about it. Some aspect of Albus' presence made her eager to try the stunt, even knowing the possible repercussions.

As she sank toward the ground, grinning, Minerva savored the look of astonishment on Albus' face. He looked so funny standing there with his mouth open.

In a moment of usual daring, Minerva moved her broom so close to Albus that she was practically on top of him. She locked eyes with him, and swung a leg off the broom, feeling him watch her.

However, as her feet hit the ground, her ankle slipped sideways. Albus reached under her arms to catch her, and Minerva heard a sickening crack. Stars exploded in front of her eyes as her ankle erupted in pain. She leaned her head against Albus' chest, and he stumbled, nearly knocking them both off balance.

"Albus." Minerva whispered. "I think my ankle's broken."


	2. Chapter 2

**Showing Off  
**

**Summary:** ADMM. Minerva and Albus try to impress each other.

**Disclaimer**: I have no rights to Harry Potter. This story is written merely for recreational purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. In addition, parts of this are somewhat cliché. Ye be warned

Minerva lay in the hospital wing, feeling a bit put out. The walk to the castle had been long and arduous, with her forced to lean heavily on Albus every step. Not that she had really minded leaning on Albus, but it just was not seemly. Besides, she was sure Albus had not enjoyed carting her back off to the castle.

Why had she been so foolish? The victory in the Quidditch cup had truly gone to her head. However, Minerva knew that was not all. Her better judgment had been completely overridden by her strange urge to show off in front of Albus. Now she had paid for it. She flushed crimson just thinking about it.

So, here she was lying on an uncomfortable cot in a room smelling of antiseptic. Poppy had quickly and efficiently mended her bones but insisted on keeping her overnight for observation. Despite Minerva's protests, she had found herself remaining. No one argued successfully with Poppy.

Now, she had no choice but to rest quietly, and try not to worry too much. Consternation crept into her face and she realized how foolishly she had behaved. What would Albus think?

At least the sun was finally coming up, flooding her sterile environment with oranges and reds. Soon she would be able to rise and go teach her first class, second year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Normally, it was not her favorite class, but she was glad of any excuse to return to normal. However, just as she was getting out of bed the door opened.

"Good morning." Albus said softly, "How are you."

"I'm fine, Albus" She answered nervously, wondering if he would comment on her humiliation that past night. "I was just about to go to class."

"Why certainly not" he answered, his eyes twinkling. "You need your rest Minerva."

"I'm fine, Albus. It only took about a second to mend my bone." She answered sternly. Trying to regain her lost confidence. "Besides, I need to teach my class."

"I thought I would do that." Albus answered, still absurdly cheerful. "I'd love to have a day off from politics and paperwork. Teaching would be an excellent rest. It should be quite relaxing. "

"You can't do that Albus" Minerva tried to explain, still feeling extremely out of her element. "You won't be able to follow my lesson plans. They're written in Gaelic." She normally made use of her childhood language to prevent the students from trying to steal lesson plans and more importantly test keys, but it was proving a hindrance in this case.

"I suppose I'll manage." He continued unperturbed. "I used to be a rather good transfiguration professor, you know." Albus winked.

"But you need to prepare…" She stammered, trying to make him understand what a bad idea it was. Besides, she was completely healed!

"Now, now." He waggled his finger, "I'll do just fine. A little improvisation keeps a class free flowing and fun."

"Fun?" Minerva gasped. Albus was talking nonsense.

An hour later, Albus was enjoying himself immensely. He had stood up in class and begun teaching, ignoring the students' surprise. Having divided the class into pairs, he assigned them all to changing the colors of their quills. He assigned each pair a different color, and cheerfully walked around checking the colors in the relatively easy transfiguration.

"A little bit purpler Miss Fleming" He told one girl jovially, gesturing toward the lavender quill upon her desk.

"Like this headmaster?" asked her partner, reaching across the desk and waving his wand. The feather immediately darkened to a beautifully deep shade.

"Excellent Mr. Lee" Albus answered. "Five points to Ravenclaw."

With a smile, Albus turned around and glanced at Minerva. She was sitting with her ankle propped against a chair, in the corner of the room. Her arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed. She looked utterly put out. Albus grinned and had begun to raise his arm to wave at her, and then they were interrupted.

BANG!

Albus whirled to look at the students behind him. The majority cowered in a corner. In the center of the room, Ms. Fleming and Mr. Lee were staring at each other with wands drawn.

Albus noted that Mr. Lee had turned a magically unnatural shade of royal purple.

"Mr. Lee, Ms. Fleming, what have you done?" Albus asked in consternation.

"She hexed me professor!" Mr. Lee shouted, waving his bright purple arms comically.

"He started it!" Ms. Fleming protested vehemently.

"I don't care who started it!" Albus shouted. "Both of you report to my office at the end of class. I will deal with you later."

Thoroughly embarrassed, Albus glanced at Minerva. She merely frowned and rolled her eyes. This was not going so well after all.

At the end of class, as the students filed out, Albus approached Minerva, feeling vaguely like a student about to receive detention. Not that her posture looked particularly inviting. She was sitting up straight and her eyes appeared deadly sharp. She looked like a queen, Albus thought, but his nerves quickly cut through that line of thought.

"So, fun is it?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well, not exactly but…"

"What possessed you to pair those two together? They just stopped dating last week! They have been fighting every spare moment since. You should have separated them on opposite ends of the room. I was trying to signal to you when Mr. Lee starting showing off, but you weren't even paying attention!" He eyes were flashing dangerously.

"Err, I…" Albus stammered, not willing to reveal exactly why he had been so distracted.

"And you didn't read my partner lists either!"

"I thought it was in Gaelic!" Albus interrupted, infuriated by the unfairness of it all.

"The names weren't in Gaelic you fool!" Minerva snapped. Her nostrils flared and she was breathing heavily.

"Alright, Alright!" Albus responded frantically. "I admit it. You are the better teacher. Happy?"

She gave him a beautiful smile. "Yes." Her breath settled down a little.

"Good." Albus was not sure what kind of insane impulse made him say the next part, "But I'm the better kisser."


	3. Chapter 3

**Showing Off  
**

**Summary:** ADMM. Minerva and Albus try to impress each other.

**Disclaimer**: I have no rights to Harry Potter. This story is written merely for recreational purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. In addition, parts of this are somewhat cliché. Ye be warned

_Why on earth did I say that?_ Albus thought desperately. _I never should have… Oh Merlin_! He was terrified that he might have gone and ruined whatever chances he had with Minerva, although his estimation of said chances had always been somewhat lacking. _She must think of me as an arrogant lout. I was just trying to think of a witty response and instead I said… Oh, Merlin, please let her not be offended! _

Minerva did not say anything. She merely stared at him with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

Hurriedly Albus tried to come up with an explanation, any kind of innocuous reason why he might have said that. However, all reasonable explanations for his idiotic remark seemed to have fled.

Finally, Minerva stood up. Briskly she strode to the door. Albus tried to call after her, to stop her leaving, but his voice lodged in his throat.

However, instead of exiting the room, Minerva sharply and firmly shut the door and locked them both in. Next, she strode to the windows and drew the blinds shut.

Minerva walked back over to Albus and stood in front of him. Slowly, she brought her hands to rest on his shoulder. She was visibly breathing hard and her face appeared flushed.

"Prove it." She told him, shakily.

Minerva could not believe her ears. What were they doing? She understood her own motivation, however ill advised it might be, but she knew Albus did not even like her. Why would he flirt like this with someone he did not like? Was he playing with her feelings? He had always been so kind to her. Now, she had locked herself into the situation. She felt miserable.

Minerva looked at her shoes and wondered what was going to happen, more than a little afraid, but Albus simply took her chin in his hand a turned her face towards him, so he could look into her eyes.

Gently, he brushed the back of his other hand against the side of her face. The gesture was reminiscent of pushing an errant strand of hair back into place, though her hair remained tightly bound. Either way, the gesture was affectionate and sweet.

"Pushing back my hair only works when it's not in this infernal bun Albus." Minerva snapped, nerves getting the better of her.

Before she could absorb the rudeness of what she had just said, Albus had undone her hair. Casually, he tossed her hairpins to the ground, and she shivered with nerves.

Once again, Albus gently turned up Minerva's chin and brushed back her hair with infinite tenderness. He smiled at her reassuringly, and hesitantly she managed to smile back. Then, he brought his head down.

Now Minerva was well experienced in the area of kissing, or she had been when she was younger. She had no reason to doubt her ability. As a teacher, she felt she had learned to regard such goings on with a sort of healthy cynicism. However, this was nothing like she had ever experienced.

Her heart was racing and her chest constricted. She felt lightheaded and dizzy and… _Oh Merlin!_. She had never felt sensations like this so strongly before.

Fuzzily, Minerva noticed that Albus had not been joking about his snogging skill, as her knees buckled and she fell into Albus' chest.

A moment later, when she could breathe again. Minerva took stock of her situation. Albus had her head cradled against him and was stroking her hair. "Merlin." She managed to gasp.

"It's Albus," He answered with cheer.

"Where did you learn? … Never mind, bad question," She muttered.

"Any good?" Albus asked her.

"You could say that." She stammered, still not completely in control of her breath.

"Minerva, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night?' Albus asked her softly.

"You do things backwards," She muttered.

"What was that?" He asked a hint of nervousness apparent in his voice.

"I mean yes," she answered, laughing. "Yes, Yes!"

"Wonderful," He answered, his eyes full of affection.

They embraced, wrapping their arms tightly around each other as if they would never let go.

"Well, Mr. Best-Kisser. You have won the title. You have the girl. The happy ending is yours. " Minerva said in a mock Lee Jordan voice "What are you going to do now?"

"Kiss you some more." Albus answered in a low voice, lowering his head again.

Meanwhile, in the office of the headmaster. Ms. Fleming and Mr. Lee were waiting impatiently. It had been almost a full hour, and the headmaster showed no sign of coming to discipline them. They had waited in stubborn silence for the entire time, but were fast becoming bored and short-tempered.

Ms. Fleming paced nervously, while Mr. Lee occupied himself watching Fawkes, who seemed to be in an unusually good mood for some reason. The phoenix was almost strutting with joy, as he preened on his perch.

"Well, do you think he's coming?" Mr. Lee finally asked, wondering what could have kept the headmaster so long. The absence was grating and made him feel slighted.

"He's probably off taking points from some other arrogant jerk." Ms. Fleming snapped, glaring at her former boyfriend with malignant anger.

"I am not an arrogant jerk." Retorted Mr. Lee hurriedly. "And besides, you hexed me! I did not do anything to you. "

"You provoked me, and you deserved it. In fact, you deserved much worse." Ms. Fleming answered, furious, almost drawing her wand again, but deciding against it.

"I did not." Mr. Lee answered heatedly.

"You did too." Ms. Fleming answered sharply.

"Did not."

"Did too."

…

Ten minutes later, when they had both grown bored with arguing, Mr. Lee said, "Seriously, what could be taking him so long?"

"He's the headmaster you idiot," Ms. Fleming answered, "What do you think he's doing?"

"How should I know?"

Ms. Fleming pondered that for a moment, "Well whatever it is, it's sure to be deathly dull."

If they only knew.

The End


End file.
